ETHICS AND THE RULE OF LAW

An introduction to the philosophy of law, which offers a critical appraisal of all the main issues and problems. This has become a very active area and on which philosophers, legal practitioners and theorists and social scientists have tended to converge. The more abstract questions about the nature of law and its relationship to social norms and moral standards are now seen to be directly relevant to more practical and indeed pressing questions about the justification of punishment, civil disobedience, the enforcement of morality, and problems about justice, rights, welfare, and freedom. The book presupposes no formal training in law or philosophy and is intended to serve as a textbook in a range of introductory courses.